End-gate fastener.



B. F. SPRINGER.

END GATE FASTENBR.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.10,1909.

973,578. Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

ms "cums PETERS co. v/slurmron, n. c.

B. P. SPRINGER.

END GATE PA8TENER.'

APPLIIJATION FILED 119.10. 1909.

973,578. Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

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BENJAMIN F. SPRINGER, 0F MOLEAN, ILLINOIS.

END-GATE FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Application filed August 10 1909. Serial No. 512,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SPRINGER, a citizen of the United States, residin at McLean, in the county of McLean and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in End-Grate Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to end gate fasteners for wagons or like vehicles and has for its object to eliminate the rods now in use to brace the side boards of the same.

A further object is to provide a method of fastening by which the end gate may be held firmly in position during the process of unloading the vehicle, thus doing away with the very objectionable method of removing them every time it is necessary to empty out a art or the whole of the material in the ve icle.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel form of retaining flange member arranged to be carried by the upper portion of the gate so that it may be held securely spaced above the bottom of the engaged wagon body to support the lower portion when in open position.

A further important object is to provide such a top retaining means that will prevent rattling thereof during movement of the carrying vehicle.

This end gate is especially adapted to grain, coal and farm wagons, and can be used on the front as well as the rear thereof.

With these and other objects in view, the

present invention consists in the coinbina tion and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a wagon supplied with my end gate, Fi 2 is a rear view of a wagon provided wlth this invention, Fig. dis a fragmenta longitudinal section on the line 33 0 Fig. 2 Fig. 4 is a detail pers ective of the upper iiange section of the en gate, Fig. 5 is a similar view of the lower section. Fig. 6 shows a section on the line 66 of Fig. 3 of the upper guide plate and end gate engaged thereon, Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line 77 of Flg. 3 of the lower guide plate, Fig. 8 is an elevation of a modied form of guide plate for the upper gate section.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates the side boards of a wagon body of a usual form and construction, provided at their ends with metallic uide plates 6, having the guide-ways 8. hese guide plates 6 are constructed of one piece of sheet metal, having two vertically extending spaced guide ribs 7' crimped therein, the plates being secured in any suitable manner against the side boards with the guide ribs projecting inwardly therefrom. These guide ribs are resilient and extend downwardly from adjacent the upper edge of the side boards approximately half thelr height for the reception of T-flanges 9 carried by the upper section of the gate, as will be descri ed. It will be noted that a central portion 10 is provided in the plates between the ribs adapted to be fastened as shown to the side boards, and outwardly of the ribs there are presented flanges 11 similarly secured. It will be noted that each rib is provided with two sides or walls, the inner one being in the form of the letter V as viewed in cross section, the an 1e of the V- shaped portion being directe outwardly from the center of the plate 6. The inner sides of the ribs slope gradually outward from the plane of the central portion 10, as shown at 12, thence are turned inwardlyfor a short distance and then reourved laterally a short distance, approximately parallel to the plane of the portion 10, w on they are extended toward the side board forming a buttress 12 and turned laterally again in the plane of the portion 10 to form the flan es 11.

T e end gate comprises an u per section B and a lower section 0 hinge thereto for pendent oscillation. The u per section carries the T-flange 9, having t e oppositely extendin flanges 14 the outer edges of which are a apted for sn engagement in the guide-ways of the p ate 6. The T-flan e 9 is formed of one piece of sheet metal. t will be seen that the engagement 9f the flanges 14 with the ribs 7 w' be resilient in its action to a certain extent, so that the upper end gate'section will be held against rattlin movement. Extending upwardly from t e floor of the wagon to the lower end of the upper guide plate 6 on each side board there is a single forward guide rib 15 havin opposite anges secured to the board. he lower end gate section is provided at'each end with a sheet metal plate 16 having a single flange on. its inner side adapted to engage against the respective ribs 15, which are similar in formation to those numbered 7. The plate 16 is formed of a continuous piece of sheet metal which is bent to present the parallel attaching flanges engaged on opposite sides of the lower gate section 0, and is crimped to form the flanges 16 projecting inwardly from the inner corner of the section C, at right angles thereto. Formed in the outer side of the portion 9 of the T-flange 9, and on the outer side 17 of the flan e portion 16, there are outwardly stamped spaced ears 20, having slidably engaged therein, suitable latch pin members 21 slidable therethrou h for engagement in suitable 0 enings ormed in the adiacent portion of the guide plate to hold the gate sections in operative position. Helica springs 22 are engaged around the central portion of the pins 21, being seated against one of the ears and bearing against transverse pins 23 carried in the pins 21 intermediately of the ears, the pins being thus held yieldably in engaged I position.

.and swung outwardly, the removal ,of the In operation, the upper section is engaged in the ideways of the plates 6, the lower section eing pendent, and the gate ressed downwardly until the lower ed e of t e bottom section engages snugly against the floor. By means of the pins 21 the upper section is locked against vertical movement, and the lower section is pressed inwardly against the rib member 15 and thus secured by the pins 21 carried on thissection. The resiliency of the ribs 7 and 15 thus prevents the gate from rattling.

When it is desired to unload a wagon provided with this gate, if the wa on should contain dirt, coal, or like materia the lower section of the gate may simply be unloosened material bein thus permitted without detachment of t e gate.

As shown in Fig. 8 the ribs 7 may be downwardly converged so as to more firmly ip the flanges 14 of the uppler section of e ate, the edges of which s ould also be simi arly convergent. When the gate is disevao'rs In a device of the class described, the;

combination with a wagon side board, of a guideway formed from sheet material andcomprising a central plane ortion ada ted to be disposed against the si e board to or-lna buttress portion and being inclined out ward from the side board and recurved to form a flange receiving portion, the sheet material bein then again recurved laterally and extended a short distance, and bein directed inwardly toward the side boar the extreme edge portions being turned in a common plane with the first mentioned central plane portion and adapted to be secured against the side board, the sides of said guideway being convergent toward the lower end; and a wagon gate comprisin hinged sections, the .upper having at eac en a member a roximately T-shaped in cross section slifi lein said uideway and having oppositely extending flanges divergent toward their up er ends and resiliently held between said ange receiving portions, said flange receiving portions being adapted for lateral ielding under downward movement of the l shaped member, the buttress being adapted to resist lateral yieldin forcing the guide portions inward towar the side boar to clamp the flanges against loose play; a stop flange below the ideway extending over a portion of the eight of the,

side board, the lower hinged sect1on of the gate having a laterally extending flange 'ada ted to abut the stop flange, and adapted to wing away therefrom, means for holding said upper section against vert1eal movement, and means for he ding said lower section in engagement against said stop flange.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature, in presence 0 two witnesses.

R. H. J onnson, M. K. Gaas'r. 

